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Honey has all manner of often-hidden medicine-like qualities, but more eyes will certainly be falling on Manuka honey after it was recently shown to reduce the proliferation of breast cancer cells. It did so in a sophisticated manner that even resulted in the occasional triggering of natural cell death, or apoptosis, a mechanism that’s bypassed […] The post Manuka Honey Reduces Breast Cancer Cell Growth by 84% in Human Cells and Mice appeared first on Good News Network.

Excerpts Young Adult Read the First Chapter of Ransom Riggs’ Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry How do you battle darkness when no one believes in you—not even yourself? By Ransom Riggs | Published on August 22, 2024 Comment 0 Share New Share We’re thrilled to share an excerpt from Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry, the start of a new young adult fantasy by Ransom Riggs—publishing with Dutton Books for Young Readers on August 27th. Read the first chapter below, or scroll to the end to listen to the audiobook version, narrated by Kirby Heyborne. Seventeen-year-old Leopold Berry is seeing weird things around Los Angeles. A man who pops a tooth into a parking meter. A glowing trapdoor in a parking lot. A half-mechanical raccoon with its tail on fire that just won’t leave him alone. Every hallucinatory moment seems plucked from a cheesy 1990s fantasy TV show called Max’s Adventures in Sunderworld—and that’s because they are. Not a good sign.In the blurry weeks after his mother’s death, a young Leopold discovered VHS tapes of its one and only season in a box headed for the trash—and soon became obsessed. Losing himself in Sunder was the best way to avoid two things: grieving his mother and being a chronic disappointment to his overbearing father. But when the strange visions return—at the worst possible time on the worst possible day—Leopold turns to his best friend Emmet for help. Together they discover that Sunder is much more than just an old TV show, and that Los Angeles is far stranger than they ever imagined. And soon, he’ll realize that not only is Sunderworld real, but it’s in grave danger.Certain he’s finally been chosen for greatness, Leopold risks everything to claim his destiny, save the world of his childhood dreams, and prove once and for all that he’s not the disappointment his father believes him to be. But when everything goes terribly, horribly, excruciatingly wrong, Leopold’s disappointments prove to be more extraordinary than he ever could have imagined. Leopold Berry had been trying to ignore the raccoon in the tree out the window, but like so many things in his life, it seemed impossible. The raccoon was perched on a branch that aligned perfectly with the head of the man Leopold was supposed to be listening to—a man who’d just asked Leopold a question he hadn’t really heard. It almost seemed like the raccoon was trying to distract him on purpose. Twice the creature had nearly fallen out of the tree, only to drag itself back onto the branch after a lot of clawing and flailing. Just now, its tail had burst into flames. The natural thing to do, Leopold realized, would’ve been to direct the attention of his father and the interviewer to the animal-on-fire as explanation for why he’d been so distracted these past minutes. He couldn’t, of course, because the raccoon’s tail was not really on fire. The raccoon was not really there at all. These things happened to Leopold sometimes. When he was twelve, a therapist told him he had a hyperactive imagination—that he saw strange and impossible things at the moments he most wanted to escape from his life. He’d once been plagued by these dissociative episodes, but it had been years since the last one. Then, a week ago, Leopold had seen a single, small rain cloud trail a harried fruit vendor down a sidewalk in Hollywood. The week before that, through the windshield of his traffic-stalled car, he’d watched a man pry a tooth from his mouth and insert it into a parking meter, prompting a fissure to open in the pavement. With a furtive glance behind him, the man had climbed into the cavity, disappearing just before it closed over his head. But these episodes had been brief, and each time Leopold had assured himself it was nothing to worry about. Who didn’t occasionally fantasize while stuck in traffic? But now the raccoon. Buy the Book Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry Ransom Riggs Buy Book Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry Ransom Riggs Buy this book from: AmazonBarnes and NobleiBooksIndieBoundTarget This episode had lasted longer than either the tooth man or the fruit vendor, which was disconcerting and, at the moment, extraordinarily inconvenient. He desperately wished the raccoon that was not really there anyway would just disappear. Then, with a peevish flick of its flaming tail, it did. The meeting had not been going well even prior to the raccoon. Leopold wasn’t purposely trying to frustrate his interviewer, an avuncular older man in golf clothes who had started off smiling but now looked like he, too, wished he were somewhere else. Nor was he hoping to piss off Richter, his tall, barrel-chested father, who was growing quietly apoplectic in the chair beside Leopold. He really was doing his best, if only to appease Richter, but he couldn’t focus. The gray suit Leopold had been forced to wear was loose in some places and tight in others. He was certain his pale skin had flushed bright red. He’d forgotten most of the canned responses his father had encouraged him to memorize, and the ones he did remember came out sounding forced. And now he’d allowed six seconds of excruciating silence to elapse as he stared out the window at a nonexistent raccoon. Leopold directed his eyes back to the man behind the desk. “Sorry, what was the question again?” There was a creak of stiff leather as Leopold’s father dug his fingers into the arms of his chair. “Larry’s just tired,” he said through peroxide-white teeth. “Poor kid was so excited about this meeting, he hardly slept last night.” Larry was a nickname Leopold had acquired in childhood and had never been able to shake. Larry Berry: It sounded like a punchline. The only person ever to call him by his given name, Leopold, had been his mother, and because it rang foreign on anyone else’s tongue, he’d long ago resigned himself to Larry, a name that made him cringe whenever it was spoken aloud. The man glanced at his watch. An electric guitar, signed by the members of some famous band, was displayed proudly on the wall. “No need to be nervous, Larry. We’re just having a friendly conversation.” He grinned in a way that was designed to put Leopold at ease. “I asked, what’s your greatest strength? What do you feel you’re best at?” Leopold cleared his throat. He could feel his father’s eyes drilling into him. “Well, um, I guess…” He tried to conjure one of the answers he’d rehearsed, something about leadership and problem-solving. “…I don’t really know?” “If you ask me, Mick,” his father cut in, “Larry’s problem is he has too many strengths. Makes it tough to decide where to focus his energy. Berry family curse!” He laughed like a sputtering engine. The man chuckled politely. “Then I’ll make this easier. How about you give me your top three.” Leopold’s mind went blank. He saw something flick among the branches of the tree out the window but forced himself to ignore it. His palms began to itch. “Larry,” his father hissed. “No need to be modest.” “I’m not.” Leopold shifted in his seat. “I’m just… not the best at anything.” His father made a strangled noise. “Now, I’m sure that’s not true,” said the interviewer. But it felt true. It was the truest-feeling thing Leopold had said aloud in a long time. What he excelled at were minor things his father thought categorically worthless: working on his old car, tinkering with small electrical objects, and making homemade movies set in the world of a certain fantasy TV show that had gone off the air before he was born. He was ashamed of these forgettable skills, so he never mentioned them. The man winked. “Don’t worry. I’m good at finding hidden talents.” “I certainly hope so,” Larry’s father muttered. In Richter Berry’s opinion, there were two types of people in the world: winners and losers. He’d argued as much in his first book, Think Like a Winner, the publication of which he’d parlayed into a career as a success coach, a profession that suited him perfectly because it involved, mainly, yelling at people. So long as he did it with a smile, a shocking number of seemingly well-adjusted people would submit to being berated, harangued, and belittled by Richter Berry in the name of self-improvement. Whole auditoriums of them, all paying for the privilege. Richter was very proud of himself, and of his two stepsons, Hal and Drake. Hal, captain of his high school wrestling team, and Drake, going into his second year at USC’s business school, were turning out to be killers in the barrel-chested mold of their stepfather. But Richter was worried—had been worried for years—that his biological son, a lean, dreamy, distractible boy with no discernible talent for, or interest in, anything practical at all, was growing up to become… not a winner. But Richter was no quitter. He couldn’t abide a failure in the family; it simply didn’t fit the brand. He’d given his son several perfectly good options for a future career: Larry could go to law school and become a lawyer (preferably corporate); go to business school and get on the executive track (Fortune 500, or what was the point); do a finance program that would lead to private equity or investment banking (Goldman, ideally, though the boy was hopeless with numbers, so that seemed the least likely of the three). All Larry had to do was choose one, and like magic he’d have the inestimable blessing of his father’s support. Richter, self-made son of a pig farmer from a hardscrabble town in the Midwest, would’ve killed for such an opportunity at seventeen. But the boy was like a cat: strange, lazy, and nearly impossible to train. His mother had been far too easy on him, so now, to compensate, Richter had to be hard; Larry had made it abundantly clear that he would never be hard on himself, that if given half the chance he’d spend the rest of his life with his head in the clouds and accomplish absolutely nothing. So when, after innumerable lectures and tirades, Larry had still not chosen one path over another, Richter had engaged the (very expensive) services of the best private college admissions counselor in Los Angeles, a man who had miracled C students with no legacy credentials into Harvard, and felonious delinquents from nothing families into Stanford. It was amazing he’d even found the time to slot them in for a meeting. And now, probably just to spite him, his son was flushing a golden opportunity down the toilet. “What about the aptitude test?” Richter asked. The interviewer’s bulletproof smile faltered. “Wasn’t too helpful, I’m afraid.” The raccoon was back on its branch, one leg extended skyward, earnestly licking its privates. “Larry’s results were a bit… inconclusive. His grades don’t reveal any special aptitude for one path over another, though that’s not especially uncommon. As for the test, Larry scored the perfect average on every metric.” He almost looked impressed. “Never seen that before.” “You mean to say,” Leopold’s father huffed, “he’s perfectly average.” The counselor hesitated. “I think results like this reveal the limitations of testing, not of your son. Which is exactly why we bring potential clients in for these little heart-to-hearts.” The word potential seemed to hang in the air. “I can help you, Larry. But first you have to be honest with me.” Stop calling me Larry, Leopold thought. The counselor steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “Let’s forget colleges and careers altogether for a minute. Here’s the most important question: What do you love? What’s your passion?” Leopold’s instinct was to give a canned answer, but there was an attentiveness in the man’s eyes that caught him off guard. He actually seemed to be listening. Leopold couldn’t remember the last time an adult had done that. And so he was compelled to do something he almost never did in front of his father: tell something like the truth. “Well, I think I might be good at editing movies,” Leopold ventured. He hadn’t quite found the courage to say directing movies and editing sounded like a more achievable but still respectable career prospect. The man leaned forward, head bobbing. “I was wondering, maybe, about… film school.” His father wafted a hand through the air. “Four-year jerk-off.” “Actually, this could be perfect,” said the counselor. “This, I can work with.” Leopold felt a small hope spark in his chest. Like maybe his whole life was about to change, and a door was opening he’d never known was there. And then the man said, “You should consider entertainment law. Some of the best-paid lawyers I know work for movie studios,” and as he began to describe the impressive house in Malibu owned by one such lawyer, a ringing filled Leopold’s head, and he saw something out the window he could no longer ignore: The raccoon, now fully engulfed in flames and leaping from branch to branch, had caught the tree on fire. As the blaze spread quickly through the canopy, a flock of small birds, also on fire, shuddered out of the leaves and scattered into the air. Leopold went rigid, suppressing a sudden urge to panic. Not because the tree was on fire—he knew it wasn’t— but because there was no denying it now. It’s happening again, he thought. He was Seeing into Sunder. Excerpted from Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry, copyright © 2024 by Ransom Riggs. Audio excerpt narrated by Kirby Heyborne. The post Read the First Chapter of Ransom Riggs’ <i>Sunderworld, Vol. I: The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry</i> appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Children’s Health Defense (CHD) are free to proceed with a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of censorship, the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana has ruled. We obtained a copy of the ruling for you here. The court found that the plaintiffs have legal standing in their bid to prove that the Biden White House is guilty of collusion with Big Tech by means of pressuring these companies to do the government’s bidding in stifling speech. If done directly, this would be unconstitutional, but the Biden administration still found a way, it has been alleged multiple times over the past years, including by Kennedy and CHD who claim their social media posts were censored as a result of the collusion. The posts in question expressed opposition to the government’s Covid policy, including measures such as mask and vaccine mandates and lockdowns. Previously, the plaintiffs filed for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented ongoing “coordination” between the government and tech companies behind social media affecting Kennedy and CHD, but a federal court of appeals did not approve this. The preliminary injunction had been sought as a stopgap measure before the district court could rule whether the case – Kennedy v. Biden – would be allowed to proceed. Now that the legal standing has been established, the 5th Circuit will be deciding on the injunction again. Judge Terry Doughty of the Louisiana district court found there is legal justification for the lawsuit, and CHD General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg said the decision on this was made by applying “the framework from the US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Murthy v. Missouri regarding standing.” As for the evidence of Kennedy and CHD being subjected to censorship, the judge ruled that the way the government behaved was “traceable to direct statements and instructions to social media platforms” – Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube among them. Judge Doughty also noted that Kennedy was named as one of the “disinformation dozen” – a term coined by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) (a controversial British censorship-promoting group.) The ruling cites concrete instances when Kennedy’s and CHD’s posts were removed at the government’s requests – proof of this being in emails sent by the Biden White House’s Covid response team. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post RFK Jr. and CHD Cleared to Take Biden Administration to Court Over Censorship appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The trend of employing facial recognition devices in any place where a large number of people gather and circulate – such as airports, stadiums, and even the high street – is becoming clear and evident. The entertainment industry is no exception, with proliferation continuing at pace at concert venues and festivals. Those who fear increasingly efficient mass surveillance as the result of this trend see the reason for that fear precisely in the scale of the biometric data captured in these places. But those pushing for more and more adoption say this is done to ensure security (prevent ticket scalping, and such) and speed things up – aka, “streamline access” by avoiding long queues. That’s essentially a call to “embrace convenience” in exchange for true security, and privacy – and it’s a call most people find hard to resist. In the US, many stadiums that are venues for games played as part of professional leagues are already using what reports call “advanced systems,” while companies like Denso Wave are emerging as key sellers. Denso Wave’s original “claim to fame” was QR tech, but now, facial recognition has been “integrated” into this, with the product, Secure QR Code (SQRC) used at festivals and other similar events. In the sports world, it is not just the US and the likes of the MLB (The Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati now “boasts” facial recognition) that are examples of the proliferation of facial recognition targeting fans. Nor is Japan’s Denso the only industry “leader” – biometric ID verification is also actively developed and sold by the Korea Creative Content Agency, among many others. This particular company stepped in to “secure” K-Pop concert tickets. In Europe, ticket sellers and football venues in countries as far apart as Denmark and Cyprus have all turned to facial recognition-powered surveillance, and this is always presented as something positive – such as a “clamp down on scalping” that is at the same time “user friendly.” In Denmark, this concerns Ticketbutler partnering with Noticket, a company that promises to “revolutionize events with modern technology” by providing an “event tool” that combines precise data collection for organizers. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Facial Recognition Continues To Proliferate at Concerts and Festivals appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Democrat Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey passed away at age 87 after a lingering respiratory illness.Pascrell's family made the announcement on Wednesday morning from Pascrell's personal X account:It is with deep sadness that we announce that Bill Pascrell Jr., our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, passed away this morning. As our United States Representative, Bill fought to his last breath to return to the job he cherished and to the people he loved. Bill lived his entire life in Paterson and had an unwavering love for the city he grew up in and served. He is now at peace after a lifetime devoted to our great nation America.According to reports, Pascrell had been suffering from a respiratory illness, causing him to be hospitalized for more than three weeks. At one point, he even required "breathing assistance," staff said.'Felony convictions by President George Washington to Obama and Biden: 0 Donald trump: 34.'Pascrell was released from the hospital earlier this month only to suffer a setback and return to a rehab facility a few days later, northjersey.com reported.Many outlets described Pascrell as "feisty" and referred to his fierce animus against former President Donald Trump. NBC News reported that Pascrell fought to gain access to Trump's tax returns and noted how frequently Trump featured in his tweets.For instance, on July 13 — roughly six hours before a would-be assassin shot a bullet through Trump's ear, missing his skull by mere millimeters — Pascrell tweeted: "Felony convictions by President George Washington to Obama and Biden: 0 Donald trump: 34."Two hours after the deadly shooting, Pascrell took to X to denounce all forms of "political violence" and asked his followers to "pray for Donald Trump."A lifelong resident of Paterson, New Jersey, the state's third-largest city, Pascrell joined what NBC News called the "rough-and-tumble" world of New Jersey politics in the 1970s and eventually worked his way up to Congress by 1996. For a while, he simultaneously served in the House of Representatives and as Paterson mayor, a practice that the outlet claimed was "common" in New Jersey at the time.Pascrell was seeking a 15th term in congressional office at the time of his death. Because his death occurred more than 70 days before Election Day, Democratic county committee members can select his interim replacement, who will then ostensibly face current Republican nominee Billy Prempeh in November.Pascrell is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Elsie Marie Botto, and their three children and five grandchildren.Pascrell is not the only sitting New Jersey congressman to die this year. Back in April, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., a fellow Democrat, passed away following a heart attack likely precipitated by diabetes and high blood pressure.Payne's former district will hold a special election on September 8 to determine Payne's replacement. Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, a Democrat, is strongly favored over Republican nominee Carmen Bucco.The winner of that race will have to defend the seat again roughly eight weeks later.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Today marks the final day of the Democratic National Convention hosted in Chicago, Illinois. All week protests have raged outside the United Center — the majority led by groups and organizations that fit the definition of “extremist,” according to the Capital Research Center. The protests have been so intense that a barrier was erected around the perimeter of the convention, but that didn’t stop protesters from tearing down the security fences, leading many to wonder if something big is on the horizon — perhaps for Thursday, the final day of the DNC. Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas calls in from the grounds in Chicago to update Jill Savage of “Blaze News Tonight” on the situation. - YouTube www.youtube.com “I didn't think it was going to be possible, but protesters managed to breach the fencing in several places and now they are kind of in a standoff situation with Chicago Police,” says Rosas, adding that law enforcement is armed with pepper spray. “What led to this breakdown in security?” asks Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson. “Part of the reason why they were able to [breach the security perimeter] is because clearly the police have given a hands-off approach,” Rosas explains. “The Brandon Johnson administration under Superintendent Snelling has given them a wide berth in certain places.” “What are the primary demands or issues that are being raised by these protesters?” asks Jill. “Calling for ceasefire in Gaza at a minimum but also arms embargo on Israel” is the main issue protesters are raising; however, there are some groups raising other concerns, like “health care” and “no border walls in general for the country.” For the final day of the convention, Rosas expects “more of the same” and perhaps an even bigger display. The protesters have already made a “big first impression,” he says. “If Chicago Police continue this hands-off approach, it's only going to invigorate them more.” Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.